History of Alaska

Some historical information on the state of Alaska. Click on any link for more information.

Name: "Alaska" came from an
Aleut word for "great land," though some believe
the Aleut word meant
"mainland," referred to it by those residing on the Alaska Peninsula. Scientist
and surveyor William Healey Dall wrote in 1870: "This name, now applied to the
whole of our new territory, is a corruption, very far removed from the original
word . . . called by the natives Al-ak-shak or Al-ay-ek-sa. From Alayeksa the
name became Alaksa, Alashka, Aliaska, and finally Alaska. We have, then Alaska
for the territory, Aliaska for the peninsula."

Alaska today refers to the
entire state as well as the Peninsula. "Alyeska" is still around, though, as the
name of a ski resort in Girdwood, as well as the name of the Anchorage
consortium overseeing the trans-Alaska pipeline company.

Other names for Alaska:

Territory of Baranov,
for Alexander Baranov, the early Russian leader on this continent.

Russian America, before
it was purchased by the United States in 1867.

Seward's Folly,
or Seward's Icebox, for
Secretary of State William Seward, who proposed the often-ridiculed purchase
and the official acceptance of the name "Alaska."

Sources: Alaska
Place Names Dictionary, Alaska Volcano Observatory

Purchase: William Henry Seward was secretary of state under
President Abraham Lincoln when he began negotiating a deal for the United States
to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million--or 2 cents an acre.

Seward, born May 16, 1801, served as New York state senator from 1831
to 1834, then as the state's governor from 1839 to 1843. Lincoln appointed him
secretary of state in 1861. During Lincoln's presidency, he began negotiating
the purchase of Alaska, then Russian America. Zachary Kent, in "William Seward:
the Mastermind of the Alaska Purchase," reports how Seward invited senators to
dinner parties at his home. According to Kent, "While the senators enjoyed fine
food and wine, Seward described how beautiful Russian America was reported to
be."

The purchase agreement was signed by Seward on March, 30, 1867, and approved
by the U.S. Senate May 27, 1867. President Andrew Johnson signed the final
treaty the following day and the transfer was made Oct. 18, 1867, in Sitka. In
1917, the third Alaska Territorial Legislature created Seward's Day to mark the
signing of the treaty. That same year, lawmakers also designated Oct. 18 "Alaska
Day."

Many Americans of the period called the purchase "Seward's folly" or
"Seward's icebox," thinking Alaska a snowy, icy wastelands. Of course, that was
before Alaska was discovered by gold seekers, oil companies and tourists.

Many streets throughout Alaska have been named after William Seward. A city
on the Kenai Peninsula bears his name, and Alaska has a glacier, a passage, a
peninsula, a creek, a highway and mountains named for him as well.

And what about William Seward himself? The night John Wilkes Booth fatally
shot Lincoln, a Confederate veteran named Lewis Payne entered Sewards bedroom
and attacked him with a large knife. Fortunately, the blows were blunted by a
neck brace Seward was wearing (according to The Lost Museum, a Web site
sponsored by the City University of New York and George Mason University.).
Seward continued to serve as secretary of the state under President Johnson, and
it was during Johnson's administration that Seward completed the negotiations
with Russia.

Statehood: Alaska (October 18, 1867) was first a district, becoming an
organized territory on August 24, 1912. Alaska became the 49th state on January
3, 1959.

Capital: The state capital is Juneau, located in the southeast region
of Alaska. In 2002 it had a population of 30,684.

Motto:
"North to the Future" (1967) Our motto was chosen in 1967 during the
Alaska Purchase Centennial and was created by Juneau newsman Richard Peter. The
motto is meant to represent Alaska as a land of promise. Sidebar: "North
to Alaska" was a 1960 Western-comedy movie featuring John Wayne as a
turn-of-the-century prospector sent from White Mountain, "just a little
southeast of Nome," to fetch his partner's sweetheart from Seattle. When he
finds the sweetheart already married, he invites a beautiful dancer to be her
replacement -- and he falls in love with her himself. The movie's ballad, also
called "North to Alaska," became a hit in 1960 for Johnny Horton.

Nickname: "The Last Frontier"

Seal:The state seal includes images of the aurora, icebergs, mining, farming,
fisheries, fur seals and a railroad. The state seal was originally designed and
adopted in 1910 while Alaska was still territory, not a state. The rays above
the mountains represent the Northern Lights. The smelter symbolizes mining. The
train stands for Alaska’s railroads, and ships denote transportation by sea. The
trees symbolize Alaska’s wealth of forests, and the farmer, his horse, and the
three shocks of wheat represent Alaskan agriculture. The fish and the seals
signify the importance of fishing and wildlife to Alaska’s economy. If you click
on the link at the beginning of this paragraph, you can see a picture of it.

Song: "Alaska's Flag" became the state
song in 1955. Follow the link for the words.

Holidays: (official state ones)

Seward's Day: Usually the last Sunday in March. Seward's Day commemorates the
signing of the treaty by which the United States bought Alaska from Russian,
signed on March 30, 1867. The Monday following is a state holiday for
government workers.

Alaska Day: October 18. Alaska Day is the anniversary of the formal
transfer of the territory and the raising of the US. flag at Sitka on October
18, 1867.

Follow this link for information on the Symbols of
Alaska, like her state bird, state sport, etc.